devos

Good stuff from my two devotionals this morning…



Keys to A Glad Heart

Isaiah 6:3 – One cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"

Isaiah was overcome with awe at the wonders he beheld in his vision. He saw the Lord, sitting on a throne with a train that filled the entire temple and surrounded by seraphim with six majestic wings. It was a sight he never forgot, and it is a picture of the aew we experience when we get a glimpse of our holy, righteous, loving God.

Carole Mayball in her book When God Whispers takes a look at how this awe translates into everyday living:

What makes a person old at twenty and keeps another young at eighty? I think it is that sense of wonder – the insatiable curiosity and delight concerning God, the world, and people. Solomon, for all his wisdom, was jaded. When I read the book of Ecclesiastes, I see that he had too much of everything…
For the wisest man of earth, Solomon was kind of dumb! He knew great truth…But apparently knowing that and experiencing it were two different things for Solomon…We Christ-ones know the keys to having a glad heart. They are spelled out for us clearly…
Enjoy what we have (enabled by God) as we accept our “lot” – which means accepting whatever “portion and cup” (Psalm 16:5) God has given. If we do that we won’t feel guilty if we “have” or cheated if we “have not.”
…Live in the present with each moment being lived “to the hilt” and let God keep us occupied with gladness of heart.

Lord, make me thankful for what I have. Make me accepting of my lot in life. Let me live each moment and savour it with gladness of heart.




God’s Goal In Speaking

Isaiah 52:10 – The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

When God speaks to us, He has these goals in mind:

He wants us to understand His truth. God has written the Bible in such a way that we cannot read through it and think we know everything about Him. The more you read God’s Word, the more He reveals Himself to you. The more He reveals, the more you will understand His will for your life.

He seeks to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. God wants us to take His truth and apply it to our lives. As we do, He molds us and conforms us to the likeness of His Son. Jesus is our example. In Him we discover we are wonderfully accepted and loved.

He wants us to communicate His truth to others. As we grow in Christ, God empowers us to teach others about Him. He may not call you to be a pastor or missionary, but He calls each of us to share His love with others. Our communication does not begin and end with words. It goes much deeper to our attitudes, values, convictions, and desires. What does your life say to others about Christ? Do they see a God who loves, forgives, and encourages all people?

Father God, help me to understand Your truth. I want to be conformed to the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ. I want to communicate Your truth to others.